Lucy

anonymous

Monica

claudia

Nicola

Kate

Louisa

Steph

Mike

Angie

Amanda

Carleen

John

Alice

Debra

anonymous

Ruth

anonymous

Diana

Jennifer

Ann

Leslie

Jules

Theresa

Jill

Sue

Jo

Rodney

Jenn

Christine

Rose

Colin

Kay

carl

Charlie

Jacqueline

William Winstanley

Fiona

Phil

NIKKI

anonymous

marion

Yvonne

Rob

Liza

Malcolm

Jacqueline

Michael

Anne

Judith

Mandy

Lydia

anonymous

Mark

Bob

Amanda

Sydney

anonymous

Alison

Theresa

Ruth

Isabelle

Adam

HARRIET

Kezia

Dee

Stephen

anonymous

Kate

Nicole

Alan Gilchrist

anonymous

Claire

Jim

Phil

Lizzie

anonymous

Alan

Patricia

I had an abortion last year, after an unexpected pregnancy with someone who I wasn’t in a relationship with. I didn’t feel able to tell him, or my family, only two close friends. BPAS were incredible and I’m so thankful for them. However, as they didn’t have the pills by post contract for my local area (the local NHS board did) I ended up having to pay for my BPAS consultation. The NHS system wouldn’t have been able to keep it off my record, and I wasn’t comfortable handling it locally and I wanted it to be done as soon as possible, the NHS meant I had to wait a week for an appointment online. I realise I was in a very unique and privileged position to be able to afford the consultation fee and not all women would be able to. It saved me so much more emotional trauma by being able to handle it without going to a GP or clinic, and without having to tell anyone I wasn’t comfortable with.

He said “he’s going to cum in me and there’s nothing I can do about it”. It was during lockdown and nothing was available. I had to rely on anonymous strangers on Reddit to explain to me what would/could happen and share their real life stories. I had one in person scan and the remaining appointments were over the telephone to quite a rude lady. Abusive boyfriend refused to come with me to my appointment or be there whilst I was taking the tablets for the abortion, and instead updated me on his fifa score throughout the day through text. The next day I had a rock hard feeling in my stomach that wasn’t explained to me, so I had to go to an out of hours doctor who suspected an infection, but in reality it was just from cramping for 6 hours non-stop. If it wasn’t for a group on Reddit I would’ve gone into the experience blind. I told no-one apart from my mum & partner what was happening, there’s this massive stigma and shame surrounding it. Now, when I tell people I had an abortion I feel like I have to steel myself. I didn’t kill a child, I stopped 4 week old cells. It was an awful experience as I wasn’t informed, I thought I would take the tablets & I’d be fine the next day. Abortion is healthcare.

I had an abortion when I was 16. We had used a condom but it split, so I went to my GP for the morning after pill but it made me really sick and I threw up in the school toilets. I have never been so scared in all my life as when I realised I was pregnant. My mum had me when she was 19 and had no family support, she was very depressed when I was a young child which caused me to be very anxious. I knew that I wasn’t ready to be a mother at 16. I don’t regret my abortion at all, I’m now a mother of 2 teenagers who I adore and they wouldn’t exist if I had carried that pregnancy to term. I don’t think I would have coped with a baby at 16, the effect on my mental health would have been devastating and I wouldn’t have been able to provide well for my child.

My best friend had an abortion when we were both teenagers (back in the 80s). I went with her, sat in the waiting room, and got a taxi home with her afterwards. Then I hung out in her bedroom with her while she slept. Later that evening she bumped into her mum in the kitchen and confessed what had happened (she hadn’t planned to tell her at all). Her mum came to me and gave me a massive hug and thanked me for being such a good friend and looking after her daughter.

I had an abortion at 5 weeks (I discovered I was pregnant at 4 weeks and was told I had to wait until five to have a medical abortion.) i know a lot of people who have had them and every one said that at that stage it is no worse than a severe period. Unfortunately that was not the case for me as one of the two sets of pills I had to take didn’t work, meaning so my body was trying to expel the cells through a cervix that was not prepared. I was in so much pain I passed out, vomited continuously and was admitted by ambulance to hospital for two days. Amongst several humiliating moments whilst there, I saw a Dr who told me the pain was normal & I was I quote, foolish to have expected anything less than contraction level pains as my body was ‘expelling a baby’. (Male Dr of course.)

I had an abortion at 19. I was lucky enough that my Mum came with me. I went to work the following day. I have zero regrets about my decision.

I had an abortion in the form of the pill when I was six weeks pregnant, I thought I would have a heavy period but I bled heavily for three days and was homeless living in a communal dormitory with loud noisy people while I cried out in pain. I already four children who had been removed due to DV from the father and my unsupported mental health. Then a year later I had a very late term abortion at 28 weeks for which I am so grateful for , I was still homeless and unwell and still in a very violent situation. Despite my own case I am also passionate about all women at anytime having access to free safe abortions including late term. I would also call for much needed aftercare for women while recovering

I was 17 just passed my driving test, the two people I would talk to, one had just had a miscarriage and the other had just gone through ivf. I needed to talk I tried help lines but they only had recorded messages. I went yo the gp who very embarrassed just asked the necessary questions then sent me on my way. I drove myself to the hospital thinking I would just drive myself home. They put me on the ward with all the new babies, eventually into a side room, the nurse they gave me was I would say about 7/8 months pregnant, I was made to feel absolutely shit. It xame to the moment I had to sign the paperwork qnd put down my next of kin and the guilt hit me that if something happened I would really hurt my sister who I had put on the paperwork, so I called her. She then phoned my cousin who came straight up the hospital. She had to go to work so sent her partner to pick me up, the looks this poor man that had nothing to do with my situation received was horrible I felt so shit. I went back to their’s coming back the next day to collect my car and because it had already been arranged I had to go shopping for baby bits for my cousin baby. The whole situation made me feel less than a person, I was treated in such a horrible way. I only hope this doesn’t happen now but in my heart I know it probably does and it makes me sad. I will say I should have talked to my mum but I wanted it to be my decision I didn’t want to be influenced by anyone. My mum had a child at a young age and so did my sister, I wanted to break the cycle.

I was 28 years old. I have a child from a previous relationship who I had when I was 17 and raised alone, I have long term mental health issues and made the decision to have an abortion as I didn’t want to put me and my child in a position we would no longer be able to manage or enjoy. I made the decision for both of us as we would of been financially unstable and would need to move home too.

I had an abortion in 2018. I wanted to keep the baby but it just wasn’t practical for my personal circumstances then and i know i made the right decision, even though it was informed by pressure. Now i have my child who was born around the same time i wouldve been due if i kept the 2018 pregnancy – like the baby came back when I was fully ready.

I was living abroad and had been raped. I was 20, I didn’t have money, stability, or the ability to take care of a kid – even a kid that I’d wanted, let alone one I didn’t. I didn’t have to think twice when I saw the results of the pregnancy test – I knew an abortion would be the best thing for me. I had already booked flights back to the UK & was able to get it done here medically. Walking out the clinic after I’d taken the second pills was the biggest relief of my life – it gave me control back at a time I had little. I could finish my degree. I could choose my own path in life. I could do what I knew was best for me. But I also felt so angry at the presence and interference of protestors while I was at the clinic – not only were they harassing women who went in, but they also maliciously directed mothers with young babies (who were looking for a nearby clinic) into the surgery to shame/embarrass people inside. It stoked a fire in me that the right to abortion on request needs to be established.

I fell pregnant by mistake. I thought I was tracking my cycles accurately, but apparently not! As soon as I found out my husband and I unanimously decided we didn’t want anymore kids. We joked it was the easiest joint decision we had ever made. The reality was that it was tough, we love our kids very much but simply couldn’t handle more. I was diagnosed twice with ppa/ppd and my husband also massively struggled and probaly suffers with some sort of parental related depression. To be honest I struggled to access the care, it was still very much phone based. But in the end the pregnancy ended between 9 and 10 weeks. The longer it went on, then more i imagined another sibling. I didn’t want one though. It was tricky but i have mo doubt it was he right decision for me and my family.

I was in a relationship with a very toxic person and we had broken up before I found out I was pregnant at 19. I was living with my parents and only had a part time job, I felt like I was still just a kid myself and really didn’t want to have a baby, even more so didn’t want anything to do with the potential father. 10 years later and I’m so glad I made the right choice for me and I still don’t want children. But whilst I’m very vocal about being pro choice, there are only a handful of people that know that I’ve had an abortion myself, I feel people are very quick to blame women and there is definitely still a stigma around abortion.

I was 17 (am 48 now). I told my mum very soon after I found out and she supported me completely. I always felt very lucky to have that. I was 10/11 weeks when the abortion was done and it was done under general anesthetic, that was another thing I’ve always been very grateful for. I struggled with my emotions around it for a very long time, probably up until I had my first son. Although my mum supported me there wasn’t much talking about it afterwards, until I had therapy at 24 years old. I’ve always known that my decision was the right one for me at that time.

I was 30 when I discovered I was pregnant, I wasn’t in a position to have a child and at the time I was travelling abroad in a country where access to abortion is illegal. I contacted BPAS as soon as I found out and made an appointment for when I returned to the UK. I have never regretted my decision to have an abortion. If anything, the experience made me thankful that I live somewhere where access to safe abortion is available to women.

When I saw those two lines on a pregnancy test after BC failed me for the first time in over a decade, I knew my only option would be abortion. There was no doubt in my mind. After 1 miscarriage and 2 healthy children, I knew I was done. I couldn’t carry another for my mental health. I would have lost the battle with anxiety and depression. 2 years later and I haven’t felt an ounce of regret, longing or ‘what could have been’. It was the most confident decision I have made in my life. The world wants to spin this narrative that everyone who considers abortion has a broken heart and spends weeks thinking over the option. For some, that’s not the case. My abortion was the best choice for my relationship, my living children, and most importantly, my own life. I am so thankful for BPAS and a world of women who aimed to support me through that experience.

I had an abortion in my freshers week of uni. It was with my long term boyfriend (4 years at the time and we are still together now 5 years later). I couldn’t have financially or emotionally dealt with having a baby at the time. There’s not a single part of me that regrets it. I’m in a loving relationship and I hope to have children one day, but I know that wasn’t the right time. I made the best decision for my life and I wouldn’t change a thing.

I had an abortion when I was 17. I didn’t tell anyone except school friend because I thought if my parents found out they would not trust me any more to go out and live my life. If I had not had access to an abortion I would have been terrified as I absolutely did not want to have a baby. I was still growing up myself. I was not ready to be a parent. I am now 51 and I have two lovely children. I am with a long-term partner and we wanted and were ready to have a family. In the meantime I have been to university and had a good working life in the voluntary sector. I don’t think I would have been able to have this life if I had not had the right to an abortion when I needed it.

I had a termination after I got pregnant at a very bad time in my life. My mental health was very poor, I was self harming and suicidal and I was in total self destruct mode. Getting pregnant was part of that. I knew I was too unwell to continue a pregnancy. I was convinced I would kill myself and any baby I had. Luckily I had support from a friend to see a doctor to get the help I needed. I then took part in trials for the drug that is now called Mifepristone. At that time groups of women were at hospital at the same time to be given the medication and to be monitored by health care professionals. This gave me and other women a chance to talk about our situation. It also allowed me the opportunity to ask the male consultant why he did this work. I have never had any children, through choice and know I made the right choice for me that day.

I had been with my partner for six years and had our first daughter together when I became pregnant a second time, shortly after my caesarean. I was completely shocked and wasn’t sure I could cope with a second pregnancy so soon, but the doctor immediately told me if I tried to carry the baby full term that I would die and that the baby would likely die too, leaving my partner alone with our daughter. I agreed to have an abortion and the doctor booked me in for one there and then. The procedure went well and I was never mistreated but the stigma of abortion meant that I had to keep it a secret from everyone. I spoke to a therapist years later and have many unresolved feelings about it, especially a feeling of anger against my partner who said he would “”be careful””. It makes me so angry that people always assume it’s all the woman’s fault, and that abortion is something to feel guilty of. Men always talk about the fight for survival being inherently natural and human, but if a woman wants to preserve her own life she is evil, even though there was a great risk that neither I nor the baby would have lived. Abortion must be the right of a civilised society. Pro-lifers are nothing more than misogynists, and should be treated as any other fanatical group. It’s 30 years later, and I haven’t regretted my decision, though I am still traumatised by the whole thing and would never want my daughters to ever have to go through the same thing. My abortion was just as “”easy”” as the haters claim, yet if they had an ounce of compassion they might realise that it was one of the worst episodes I’ve gone through, and trauma is not a stranger to me.

In 2006 I got pregnant from a one night stand. I didn’t have his phone number and I didn’t know his name. I had been made homeless by my parents several times from the strict religious house I was rebelling against. My father had not spoken to me in years but we lived in the same house. Obviously, a 17 year old girl who was in her first year of college with a fraught family dynamic in a council estate could not have had a child. I put off the phone call to the GP even though I knew immediately that I was pregnant because I was so frightened and overwhelmed. I went to the appointment and thankfully secured a referral to an abortion clinic. The entire process was humiliating. They also gave me a birth control injection which I had not consented to. I’m glad I was able to access the healthcare for free when I so desperately needed it and I will always, always support these rights for everyone. The right to access to healthcare, bodily autonomy, medical consent are all basic human rights of which so many of us, especially women and trans people, in this era. How awful. I have no regrets, I am filled with gratitude and have remained happily child free and intend to remain so.

I am now in my late 70s and had an abortion when I was 3O. The BPAS must have been very new then. Many of my friends had accessed ‘illegal’ abortions during the previous decade and one had died as a result. The stigma was frightening. Even though I had to go through the humiliating process of having to have 2 doctors agreeing to my mental condition, I was treated with dignity and compassion. I can’t believe that we are still in position of forcing women to go through similar humiliation and stress almost 50 years later

I found out that I was pregnant when I was 17, through not using contraception, during my A levels in 1977. I had no steady boyfriend and was about to finish school. I had no problem terminating the pregnancy at about 14 weeks. 2. My husband and I discovered I was pregnant, though I had an IUD, just before we were setting off on a year’s travelling in 1990. I had no problem terminating the pregnancy.

Becca Thomson

Hayley Walker

Natalie

Georgina Wong

Chloe

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Kelsey

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Theresa Peters

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Natasha Fox Natasha

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Phil Sleigh

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tom Foxe

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HARRIET GRIMSDITCH

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